


From The Stars To You

by tsukkuyomi



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Genre: Amnesia, Angst Warning, Billy finds a new friend, Cookies, First Aid, Friendship, Gen, Mistrust, Perseid meteor shower, Secrets, Self-Doubt, Tommy doesn't mind though, Zordon is not as all seeing as we all thought, a happy billy is a good billy, cuteness, frisbee, ham and cheese with mayo sandwiches, maybe more in time, meaning one, now with more beach scenes, sophomore year, tommy is actually super smart, winged girls give best hugs, winged people falling from the sky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-03-20 09:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3645039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukkuyomi/pseuds/tsukkuyomi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy Cranston is smart. Billy Cranston is a bit odd. Billy Cranston is well aware that he is not the best fighter and that he is often the one needing to be saved; Billy Cranston sees himself as the least of his friends and by the summer of his sophomore year he is already filled with more than his fair share of self-doubt. Then the Perseid meteor shower happens and a strange occurrence causes changes that may or may not affect Billy for the better. Will the self-proclaimed most useless member of the Power Rangers be brought salvation or ruin by this new force in his life? Is the girl an angel from the stars or a monster sent to destroy him and his friends?</p>
<p>(Starts roughly after the Green with Evil arc and Trouble with Shellshock but before Itsy Bitsy Spider; no pairings yet)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Beginning

Shooting stars were not actually stars; not a lot of people actually knew this, not normally and especially not among teenagers but it was true. It didn't mean that they were any less beautiful of course, those streaking entities from above, making their way across the night sky as they fell to earth; even to a scientific mind like Billy Cranston's they were beautiful, fleeting as they were. Yet he could not separate from his logical mind and see them as only beautiful; to him he saw the streaks of light, symbolizing the dust burning as the tiny meteoroids tried their damnedest to make it through the earth's atmosphere, and he saw in his head the various calculations, statistics and theories and laws that governed their movement, their chances of survival, the starting possibilities for them to even end up being the ones to fall through the skies. He saw the information in his mind of what they were, what composed them, what made them fall, and part of him recognized that this was somewhat wrong. He was weird really, wasn't he? Dorky, always speaking in 'technospeak', not as great as his friends, not as impressive; not an athlete, not a real fighter, he did wonder sometimes if he even was a real Power Ranger, but he supposed he was useful. He made the communicators after all didn't he, and he fixed the command center's systems when Tommy had broken them as the Green Ranger, and he made the Radbug and....honestly he wasn't sure if he was much use outside of the technology stuff at times.

But most of all he was just strange, the quintessential strange nerd; sitting outside in the woods near Angel Grove, the young man was up far later than any teenager should be, watching from where he was as the annual Perseid meteor shower shone in the sky. The year before had been quite the sight, one that Billy had been careful not to miss, even with him starting high school in less than a month back then; now he was going into his sophomore year and things were already looking busy. Yet here he was, sitting and watching the sky, enjoying a quiet little night far from the city and the lights, allowing him to watch the sky and see all the “shooting stars”. And it was as beautiful as it had been then as well.

He checked through the telescope he had brought with him, and was glad for the thousandth time that he had convinced his father to buy him the parts he needed to modify it to work like a proper one instead of some kid's toy like it had been, and was writing down various things, mostly numbers on the amount of meteoroids there seemed to be and their rate of falling, when he noticed something; a particularly bright one. He smiled to himself, thinking perhaps it would survive the fall and become a true meteorite, and pulled away from the telescope to watch it, knowing that ultimately it was better to watch the storm with just his eyes; the light stream flashed and flew across the sky and it took him a moment to notice that it was not only bright but seemed to be relatively close. As in very close. As in coming right towards the woods!

Eyes widening from behind his glasses he tried to calculate where it would land just as it flew above him and into the trees, followed soon by a loud explosion and a blast of light; he fell back some and onto the ground, staring for a good minute or two before getting up onto his feet. He supposed the thing to do that normal people would do was run to find someone to tell, and his father or any other adult may tell him that it was too dangerous to look into on his own. But Billy was not normal nor was he afraid, anymore, of such things; he picked himself up, dusted off his overalls, and rushed into the forest towards the landing site.

There was unsurprisingly quite a bit of damage done when the meteor had blasted through; as Billy made his way towards it he found trees burned and split, the earth scorched as the path got closer and closer to the ground and he realized how lucky he had been to have sat where he had because this damage was impressive by any stretch of the imagination and had been actually pretty close to where the teenager had been sitting. Any closer and, well, Zordon might have needed to find himself a new Blue Ranger.... Still he was fascinated by this as well and made a mental note to investigate further what elements caused this amount of effect before finally coming across what he had been searching for. He was startled by what he found.

Meteorites were rocks, or normally were; stone and iron, one or both, that was how it normally was. And they were usually completely solid, though sometimes there were pieces everywhere. There was one piece but he wasn't sure if the word for it was solid; a strange sort of glow enveloped it, perhaps caused by the heat of making its way through the atmosphere and down to the earth. Still below the glow he could see black, strange blackness that at first made him question his eyesight but as it actually moved and shifted gave him cause to believe that, odd as it was, the blackness was actually feathers. Many black feathers, attached to what appeared to be wings of all things; by the way the feathers seem to be the wings were obviously massive, making him wonder what kind of beast it was. An alien creature from another world at least, he knew that much, and one that was capable of traveling with simply their wings wrapped around them to keep them safe. Or perhaps, and this made him frown, a monster of Rita's? That thought made his blood cold and he reached carefully for his morpher, always with him, as the wings unfurled, revealing the person within.

At first he was not sure but after a moment he realized that it really was what he saw; a girl, roughly his age, lay unconscious under the moved wing. Long black hair covered her face, hiding it from view for the most part but from what he could see she wore glasses like him, a strange thing for an alien or a monster. The girl wore what looked to be strangely enough a school uniform of some sort, a black blazer and long skirt, white shirt with a tie under the blazer, but the school emblem seemed to have been burned off by something and was left unrecognizable. He could make out where the wings left her shoulders, the clothing ripped and teared away there and he got the feeling that the wings had not been expected when they had initially sprouted; it just rose more questions, creating a maelstrom of thoughts and theories that went nowhere because honestly he just didn't know. He did not think she was a monster, he meant she didn't look like most of Rita's monsters that were obviously so monsters and not human beings, then again the clown had looked pretty human before turning into a giant penoctopus..... but still he did not get the feeling she was evil, not like that at least. But what it was she was escaped him; he found himself going closer and leaning down, reaching out with one hand and gently touching her face through the veil of hair, feeling for a second how soft it was.

It was only for a second though; just as his fingers made contact the wings stretched out and her eyes snapped open, revealing crimson irises. Billy frowned and nearly screamed, though he bit it back as he fell back and the girl rose up in the air with a flap of her wings; he saw her backlit against the sky and for a second a few more shooting stars shot by behind her, making her look all the more impressive until suddenly she fell again. This time though she didn't hit the ground; moving quickly Billy got under her, holding out his arms for her. In any other situation, it might have looked like a dream, a fantasy; the girl falling into the boy's arm, the boy catching her and cradling her gently in his arms, and for a moment in time they simply stayed like that, staring at one another, blue into red. Then color started to flood his face, realizing what he was even doing, and his glasses slipped down as he started to speak, “I-I-I m-must beg p-pardon for th-th-this rather vexatious p-predicament w-w-we have-”

“Thank you,” she said cutting him off and he blinked at her some more, continuing to do so as she raised one hand to gently press up his glasses then do the same with her own; moving though seemed to cause some sort of pain though for she winced and drew in on herself, her wings ruffling against his skin.

It did confuse him for a time but then he noticed his arm feeling odd and he gently set her down before glancing over one of her wings; it was hard to notice among the dark feathers but further inspection, after coaxing her to unfold the wing again when she folded them back towards her body at his touch, he could see blood, fresh still pouring blood. She was injured, which was likely why she had winced when moving and why she had fallen after flying up; he couldn't be too sure what might have caused it, the extent or even how to deal with it until he got a better look though and preferably somewhere safe. He realized that someone else had to have noticed, Zordon at least, and though his communicator did not go off, he knew he better get moving and quick.

But where? The Command Center was only accessible and capable to be entered by those with a power coin and though he had one, she did not, meaning it was out of the question for now. One of his friend's houses, perhaps one of the girls? But this was sure to look weird and he still didn't know for sure she was or wasn't one of Rita's; if he took her to Kimberly's or Trini's the girls would get involved and maybe hurt. Plus he could tell them in the morning, it was the middle of the night after all, he would have to wake them and their parents up and that would not be nice or fun. It could wait, telling his friends, until morning, but helping her and perhaps tending to the wound could not.

So that left his house for now; not ideal but when he thought on it, with his father out of town again for a conference, the only one who would mind her being there was himself. He could look her over in his garage, let her sleep and recover in one of the guest rooms, tell the others tomorrow, and then deal with whatever comes then. Yes, that sounded like a good idea; he just had to hope Zordon would not tell the others before he had a chance. It would look bad he was sure otherwise.

He leaned down to her, trying to smile at her as she looked at him expectedly and cautiously; he spoke, “I wish to take a chance to better inspect the disturbance upon your rather peculiar avian appendage and review if any other marring has occurred and perhaps tend to them. To do so though I would require your attendance at my house where I can better examine and apply proper assistance.”

Only after all these words left him did it cross his mind that perhaps she would not understand; not many always did except for his friend Trini who always seemed to understand. For her part the odd girl simply blinked at him, not responding or speaking for a moment. He was about to repeat himself, try to make it more clear, but she nodded and reached out a hand to him so he could help her back up from where he set her down. He did so, assisting her in getting to her feet and catching her when they nearly gave out, the pain from her wing obviously causing her difficulty in maintaining her own equilibrium.

“I would like that, some help I mean,” she responded and Billy could not help the smile that crossed his face before he led her back to where his telescope was; he easily packed it up, readying to go back home before looking back at her, seeing her lean against a tree. He was not sure if she could make it back as she was right now; frowning lightly he leaned down, back to her, “Climb on.”

She blinked at him again and he explained, “I can transport you via my back so that we can more swiftly make our way back to my domicile. It will reduce strain on your body and be more time efficient I am certain.”

Once more the girl nodded and making her way over she climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck; Billy could feel her heart beating as he stood back up with the extra weight behind him and the telescope in it's carrying case slung over a shoulder, and caught himself thinking how Rita's monsters didn't have hearts, couldn't have hearts for they were monsters. He started off with his new subject, walking through the woods and trying to take the least visible path back so that the least amount of people would see him walking home with a girl with wings on his back; it was when he reached the street, empty of life and car, that it occurred to him to inquire to her “May I ask your name?”

There was, as often it seemed to be with her, no answer at first then her arms tightened a bit and she spoke in a soft murmur, “I think....it's Tsuki....”

“Tsuki,” Billy repeated, mulling it over, then frowning lightly, “You think?”

“I don't remember,” she muttered and buried her face in his neck, making the shy nerd blush all the more, “But I think my name is Tsuki at least. You can call me Tsuki, um...”

“Billy,” he said to her, “My name is Billy Cranston....well William but everyone calls me Billy.”

He wondered for a second if that sounded childish, Billy, but he felt her smile against his skin and her tone denoted nothing sort of a sneaking pleasure. “Billy....I like that name. Nice to meet you Billy."

“Nice to meet you too Tsuki.” A smile crossed his face and he continued to walk onward to his house thinking once more on monsters; monsters did not like names he figured, or smile like she had. He still did not know what she was but he found himself doubting more and more that she could possibly be a monster.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So technically I do plan on a BillyOC pairing here but as it is not actual relationship yet, and is not going to be one for a while at least, I did not put it as a pairing. Also there are certain things, people, who will also be playing big parts in this though I will not reveal who yet. I simply will say that I hope this develops in a way that I can incorporate everything I have planned. For now though this has been the first chapter, in which Billy finds Tsuki the girl with wings and decides, a little stupidly, to take her home without telling any of his team mates XD)


	2. Making of New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy arrives at home, Tsuki gets tended to, and some sandwiches are made.

Billy was glad to know he was indeed unbothered on the way home; the streets were clear, the houses dark, and the few people actually up were more focused on themselves than the boy wandering alone in the shadows. He was barely an afterthought and the girl he carried on his back, strange as she was, was all but invisible to them. So the high schooler found his home easily and managed to slip in through the front door without incident or fear.

Most of the time, Billy preferred to go through the garage; it was his area, his place, and he found it easiest to move from the familiar lab inside. It was a matter of odd comforts and habits really, but in this instance unnecessary and potentially problematic. Tsuki's injury, and any other he may of yet just not found, demanded quickness not dawdling, and though it may be comfort to him, it was a longer walk to the guest room from the garage than the front door. In addition was once more the fact that for the time being he was home alone; his father, brilliant and more importantly busy as he was, was off at a conference for work and not expected home for another week or so at least. As for his mother....  
Either way he was on his own, something he certainly did not mind and actually looked forward to for freedom; especially in this situation he was glad for the lack of parental interference, allowing him to be able to bring the girl home without need for questions.

Getting her through the door did prove a bit problematic, her wings being larger than the width of his door; listening to her let out a soft cry of pain she did manage to pull them in enough to get inside but he found himself feeling bad for it. He did not wish her more pain after all, he wanted to help her not hurt her; he made his way down the front hallway, ignoring for now the blinking message machine on the hall table, no doubt waiting with a message for him from his father, and slipped into the guest room.  
It wasn't much; the Cranston household rarely had visitors who stayed the night, not lately at least. There was a bed of course, made up still from the last time, and a nightstand, a bookshelf with the excess books from both Cranston males' respective collections stuffed into it; a secondary computer for when Billy's shut down was laying in wait on a desk in the corner and the closet was closed and as far as Billy was concerned not to be opened. He set her down on the bed and gave her an attempted reassuring smile, though it just came out awkward and shy as usual. "I will return posthaste; I must retrieve the first aid kit from the other room."

Tsuki blinked and nodded, speaking a soft "Okay" before Billy left the room. He swiftly made his way back towards the living room, and through it into the kitchen and laundry room, ultimately into his garage finally. There the first aid kit was, as usual since Billy had no delusions of the dangers of some of the things he experimented with, next to the remote control for the Radbug and a disassembled communicator he had taken from Jason when the other boy had mentioned concerns with its malfunctioning. Billy still needed to fix that later; for now though there were more important things and he grabbed the kit and made his way out of the room once more. It took him a moment to get back to the guest room but he was happy to find her waiting there still, unmoved from where she had been set down on the bed. She looked around her, seeming curious about it when he came in; then her attention was on him and he found himself taken a bit back when she stared at him. Maybe it was just that he wasn't used to it, having someone who wasn't one of his close friends or father being in the house like this, even the kids he tutored usually stuck to the garage as that was where the things of most interest were. A stranger, a non-Kim or non-Trini girl, this was really odd for Billy; hell even Marge had not been in his house before their inevitable parting.

It occurred to him that none of this was especially important right now though and he shook his head some, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him before he walked up her and leaned down, setting the first aid kit on the bed beside Tsuki. He opened it up and spoke as he did so, “It would be most advisable and of great assistance to my cause if you would find it agreeable to elongate both your injured and uninjured appendages.”

She nodded and winced as she allowed her wings to stretch out; the full wing length was rather breathtaking really. Billy mentally brought up facts and figures in his head, thinking about how in order to carry a human body wings would need to be rather big, needing to have the extra length and muscle simply to lift them as well to fly. But seeing them in reality, when the idea it could be reality had never occurred to him, was strange and awe-inspiring; in all honesty the room was not even big enough for both of them, the sheer length of one equaling out to the length of her whole body and even small as she was, barely five foot three, that still equaled out to more than ten feet. He asked her to pull one back in, the one that did not seem as injured, and watched as she did so, amazed still by the amount of control she seemed to have over them; he wondered if it came by instinct or experience. Did she know how to do this from birth, from the moment they sprouted, or did she have to learn? The answer he was sure either way would be fascinating but soon found reality crash down on him as he remembered: she did not remember who she was. Or she seemed to; who knew if she had been speaking the truth, if she was just pretending. He still did not know if she was or wasn't a monster, what she was; of course the wings thing did bring to mind that of course she could not be human, or a normal one at that. Even if she was there was the factors running through his head, the thoughts of what would make her body capable of flight, more than the wings, and then he wondered how strong her wings were to survive the impact, the fall, everything. What was she and why was she here? Enemy or potential friend?

“Billy?” He did not realize he was lost in thought, or that he was simply caressing her wing, staring at the feathers as his mind ran through possibilities and numbers and all the things it had since telling her to pull in her wing. He shook his head and looked at her, seeing a confused look on her face, and he smiled some.

“Sorry,” Billy spoke, to which she nodded, and he set upon his task, why she was here; gently he moved the feathers, trying not to focus too much on how soft they felt, and found the skin below. Closer examination told him that there was a large puncture, like something had stabbed her or she had been shot. There was no sign of any projectile and the wound seemed odd, burnt around the edges; touching it made her wing shudder and her to recoil and he stepped back as she frowned and tried to pull away. He stared at her and spoke quickly, “No, no, it's okay, I apologize profusely, do not be frightened or pull away; I promise to be more judicious in my actions, I promise.”

Tsuki frowned at him and looked at him cautiously and Billy stared back at her, hoping she believed him, hoping she would let him try again; after a moment of nothing she allowed her wing out again and he took care this time to be more gentle. It occurred to him that any bird would be quite sensitive about their wings being injured and the amount of nerve endings in there would make it necessary to be more mindful than usual of touch; he was much more careful this time.

Opening the first aid kit he took out what he needed; he frowned slightly. “I'm going to cleanse the puncture; this will most likely be uncomfortable but it is for the betterment of your condition and will likely fade with some time.”

Tsuki seemed less than thrilled but nodded, closing her eyes and biting her lip; he cleaned the wound and her wing straightened in pain, Tsuki biting back a whimper. He frowned but continued what he was doing, making sure to clean away all the blood as well as make sure it would be able to heal properly. Afterwards he started actually dressing the wound; part of him wondered what would be the better method in which to do this. On one hand a simple bandage patch should be able to do the trick but the wound did seem to go all the way though and an actual wrapping of the wing would likely be a quicker and more effective way to go about it; of course he could not be sure of the state that would leave her feathers as it would likely also cause quite a few to become misaligned, of the most important being her flight feathers. Ultimately it could also cause her pain.

But the choice was hers and he supposed best to ask than to guess, “Do you think a bandage will do or should I wrap your wing?”

“Wrap,” she said with little hesitation and he waited for her explanation; she looked to him, “The wound is unlikely to harm or bother my feathers as it is above secondary not primary feathers; the secondary feathers will not be bothered by some careful wrapping.”

The matter-of-fact way she said it, yet not entirely simply so, made him smile; he liked it he found and he nodded before grabbing the wrapping gauze. A bit awkwardly he placed a patch on either side of the wound and started wrapping the gauze around, trying to hold the bandages in place as he did. He tried to also avoid ruffling up too many feathers the wrong way and one or other of the patches always seemed intent on falling. He frowned and refused to give up, continuing to try until another hand reached up to hold the patch he wasn't and someone spoke, "Here, let me help."

Billy looked at Tsuki and she smiled at him; it was light, almost not there, but it made him smile too and he nodded before continuing. It was easier with both working together to do this and within a few minutes the wing was wrapped; to say it was properly so or even perfectly, or looked nice, would be stretching it a bit but it was functional and seemed to not be obstructing important feathers so Billy choose to call it a success.

"Good," he said smiling, "It looks adequately tended to."

"Yes, thank you," she said looking at the finished product and stretched her wing some, "It will be hard to fold my wing though."

"It would be inadvisable to do so; to ensure quick and complete recovery it would be best to allow the wing to rest in it's extended state. It holds a higher percentage of not disturbing the bandages as well as not aggravating the injury as it is now."

"You are very strange you know that?" She said and Billy frowned, feeling a bit hurt by that, yet the look she gave wasn't mean or suspecting; she still smiled that light smile and she continued, "But so am I I reckon, wings and all. I rather like your oddness, it's cute."

"Cute?" Billy repeated feeling a bit like a parrot. But it wasn't often people told him he was cute, not to mention that something he did like his speech patterns were. He barely thought of himself as anything but a bookworm, the intellectual of the Power Rangers who apparently people liked. His self confidence was better than it once had been but largely Billy was Billy and so not really "cute".

She nodded and he blushed, rubbing his head, "Um, thank you I suppose? I like your wings, they're very beautiful."

"Thank you Billy,"Tsuki said with a blush of her own.

For a moment then both were quiet but a light growl broke that. Billy realized he hadn't eaten in hours, his excitement in scientific endeavor having made him forget, as it often did, to eat something before going out to look at the meteor shower. As well, his brain proceeded to remind him now, his guest might be hungry as well and some energy would help her recover quicker. With that he spoke once more, "I'll go get us some food if that would be acceptable."

Another blink and another nod preceded his getting up, gathering up the first aid supplies and making his way out of the room. As such his first stop was to put the kit away, for now; he'd need to continue treatment later of course but not tonight. For now he just needed to get them both something to eat.

It wasn't until he walked into the kitchen, after setting everything away, that it occurred to him how late it really was. The clock hanging on the wall read two in the morning, a not unusual time for the young scientist to be awake but certainly still not terribly good for a growing mind. Sleep was probably best but his stomach still growled and food it struck him was also important to someone still growing. He grabbed some stuff from the refrigerator and pantry, figuring sandwiches their best option for something quick and easy as an after midnight snack. Plus he could make such without much fear of messing it up; a master chef he was not. Chemicals and technology, science was his forte, not making delicious food.

The resulting sandwiches, two each for him and Tsuki, didn't look half bad though simple. He hoped she liked ham and cheese with mayonnaise; carrying the four on two plates he made his way back to the guest room, his stomach continuing to complain about wanting to eat now. He couldn't do that though, not without her; it would be rude after all.

"Tsuki?" He called put as he walked into the room, pushing the door open with his arm since his hands were full, "I brought food."

No response and he was worried for a moment before looking over at the bed. Tsuki was still there but curled up slightly on one side, her injured wing draped over her like a blanket of sorts; her face was hidden again by a curtain of hair but something told him, the gentle movements of her body perhaps, the fact she didn't respond, that her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep.

He smiled a bit though it meant she wouldn't get to try out the sandwiches he made. Walking over Billy set the plates on a portion of the bed not occupied by her and then gently and brushed back some of her hair. She didn't respond like before, staying peacefully at sleep, and he wondered if she felt safe here or simply was just not in as much pain or that deeply asleep; either way he was glad because her trying to fly in the room would end very badly. He removed her glasses carefully and set them down on the nightstand within arms reach, not wanting her to damage them but hopefully making it easy to find them again when she wakes. Then he sat on the floor, back against the bed; a light sigh left him, along with a surprising amount of exhaustion. Billy grabbed one of the plates and started to eat a sandwich. Everything was silent for the moment and though Billy knew come morning he'd need to talk to his friends about this whole ordeal, a peace came over him. It would all be alright, he could just feel it.


	3. A Mistake In the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy wakes up, plays frisbee, makes a promise he shouldn't and ends up worrying about things while a winged girl makes food.

Billy did not remember falling asleep but he did remember the sound of beeping permeating into his dreams and waking up to a whole lot of feathers in his face. He was still on the ground, leaned over the bed, and both plates that once held sandwiches just out of arms length. Trying to move to get up he felt more feathers brush against him and realized after a moment's thought that yes Tsuki had wrapped her uninjured wing around him at some point, giving him a feathery blanket. Also she was indeed real; the winged girl was still fast asleep on the bed and when he got free of her offered appendage it pulled back to her body, folding in again and she made a soft whining noise. Still she slept and he almost smiled at at the sight of her there.

But then his communicator went off again and Billy nearly jumped, startled by it; putting a hand over it as if to muffle its sound, he made his way out of the room and into the living room. Then he answered, "Yes?"

"Billy?" The voice sounded like Trini but Billy had to wonder what was the reason for this call; she continued, "Oh god we were so worried. We thought something might have happened to you."

Billy frowned a bit. "Why is that?"

"You're not here yet, that's why," she said and she seemed to be chuckling, "Hurry up; we're waiting for you at the park."

It hit him him then why; he'd had plans, with Trini and his friends of course. It would seem, looking at the nearest clock, that last night's fiasco had caused him to oversleep and it was now well past noon. Somehow he felt more than a little relieved and with a smile he spoke, "Alright I will be there as soon as I can be. I apologize."

"Don't worry about it, we were just worried." With that communication was cut off; Billy sighed in relief and went to his room to grab some clean clothes; the idea he should probably take a shower crossed his mind and he looked into the guest room. Tsuki was still asleep it seemed and he realized he might want to tell her where he was going. And that he needs to tell the others about it; it was the right thing to do, it was his duty probably as a Power Ranger to alert them to weird events and strange people. What if she was one of Rita's?

Yet why did it make him uncomfortable to think of telling the others of her? He walked into his room and looked through his clothes for something to wear as he thought about it. It wasn't like he was especially attached to her, he just met her, and he still had no idea what she was; telling the others was the smart thing, the right thing. He was supposed to do the smart thing right, being the smart one. But he didn't feel right about it for some reason; he reasoned that perhaps it was because she was hurt. Even if she was one of Rita's monsters, she couldn't do much while injured and it would be cruel to try to destroy her or bother her while she's recovering. Even if this would be the easiest time to do it, when she was least likely to be able to fight back.

"A Power Ranger doesn't do that," he spoke aloud and grabbed a t-shirt and overalls, "Its not honorable, hitting an enemy while down...."

Maybe he should wait a bit longer, until he knows more about her. Let her recover, let him do some tests, it would be better in the long run. Then even if she did prove to be a danger they would know what kind and how to deal with her properly. But Billy doubted still, refused really, to think she could really be dangerous to them; she didn't even know who she was right now and she was injured. What could she do to them right now, flap her other wing at them?

Billy walked back to the guest room, checking in to see her still fast asleep; though he'd rather tell her in person he supposed he could settle for leaving a note for her. He walked in, quietly, and grabbing a pencil and paper he left her quick little explanation of where he was and that he'll be back as soon as he could and not to leave the house. Not that he thought she would but better safe than sorry he supposed. He then left it on the desk in the room and spared one last look to her, finding himself unable to resist a light smile before slipping away and leaving for the park. His friends were waiting for him after all.

 

By the time the genius blue ranger arrived his friends seemed to be in the middle of a game; it was a lovely day, the sun high in the sky and not a cloud in the sky but not insanely hot as it could be in California. A game of Frisbee seemed to going on and as of yet he seemed to have gone unnoticed; this was not terribly uncommon. Though he was rarely late Billy knew that when everyone was caught up in something they could be a bit blind to everything else around them.

"Hey!" He called out with a smile and waved a hand; Trini was the one to turn to him first, quickly followed by the other members of his inner circle.

The Frisbee came his way and he ran for it, trying and succeeding in catching it; the other five Rangers ran over to him.

"There you are, Billy," Jason the red ranger and leader said, a friendly smile filling his handsome face.

"We were worried about you," commented the black ranger Zack, coming over and smacking Billy's back gently with his usual jovialness.

"You're not usually late," Kimberly spoke, the pink ranger and just the type to worry over her friends.

"Not without telling us first normally," Trini said smiling lightly; of the group the yellow ranger was probably Billy's best friend, able to understand his techno speak with ease.

"So what happened?" The last voice and question belonged to the last and newest ranger and Billy found his attention turned on the tall form of Tommy Oliver, the formerly-evil green ranger. The boy was smiling too, trying to be friendly and Billy smiled too through it was slightly strained.

"I was caught up in the meteor shower last night and found myself delayed by recording my observations and one of my experiments," Billy said, lying far easier than he expected; it was a very believable lie, and only really half a lie, from the scientifically minded Billy, "I apologize."

Jason waved it off, dismissing the issue and believing the lie. "Don't worry about it; you got here, you're safe, that's all that matters. Did you fix my communicator yet by the way?"

"I have not found the fault yet but I should be able to get it to you soon," Billy said rubbing his head.

"Don't worry about it," said Jason shaking his head, "No hurry; Rita seems to be taking a break so so should we. Anyway we should eat; we were waiting on you before we would."

An embarrassed blush covered Billy's face and he murmured an apology to which he got another dismissal of blame; they understood how it could be with him. Science was his first love and he couldn't help getting caught up in it, even if he wasn't actually caught up with it.

His repentance though was to go buy the food for the group, a reasonable thing to his mind and one he agreed to without complaint. It was only right after all, after leaving them to worry over him.

The genius started off to find the hot dog vendor who normally wandered the park in search of patrons. His mind was on whether or not Bulk and Skull would be there, wondering if they already paid off their debt from last time, when he noticed someone come up beside him. He knew of course that it was likely one of his friends, come to join him and keep him company, but he didn't realize who until they spoke, "So an experiment?"

"Affirmative." That came out, he realized after it left him, a bit too curtly. He did not mean it to sound so short honestly, Billy didn't want to be rude, but he sometimes found it hard not to be a bit stiff with Tommy.

It had been over two months since the incident that brought the other teenager into their lives, when he became the Green Ranger, and Billy wondered sometimes if he was the only one still unsure about it. Rita Repulsa had tried to fight fire with fire, Ranger with Ranger, and in the process dragged the new student Tommy into her darkness. And though they broke the spell, and every logical part of his brain told him that Tommy was not really to blame, he did everything under her power, it was hard to change that every time he looked at Tommy he remembered the fear that filled his chest when they found Zordon gone. The work he put into fixing Alpha Five their robot friend. The time he spent on trying to bring the command center back online, to bring back their mentor and find out why and how. Tommy was not to blame, he knew this, and he tried to trust in him like Jason and the others did, to treat him as a friend like Jason and the others did, but something kept him at arms length, always a bit too unwilling.

Even now, as they walked, looking for the stand together, Billy felt that uncomfortable feeling bubble up again. Whether Tommy noticed it or not was unclear, Billy hoped not; the green clad teen smiled at his would-be friend and continued, "What on, though I guess I probably won't understand, techno speak and all."

He was trying, he seemed to be actually trying to be friendly; Billy tried too, smiling some, making up a quick lie, "The density and mass requirements of a set of test projectiles in specific atmospheric and environmental situations to cause a varying grade of impact upon a surface."

"Okay," Tommy said and laughed a bit.

Billy did not understand why people laughed after he explained things to them, reasoning perhaps it was their way of trying to process the information he gives. It didn't really bother him, just a bit confusing.

There was silence for a moment after, the two just walking before once again Tommy spoke first, "Hey Billy?"

"Yes Tommy?" He answered glancing over.

"I....i know we're not the best of friends," he started, making Billy feel a bit bad, "I just arrived in town a few months ago after all and then there was that stuff with Rita..."

"Don't concern yourself with that," Billy said, shaking his head, "It was not your fault."

Tommy nodded but his expression didn't change, looking bothered still. Billy looked him, reasoning that couldn't be all Tommy wanted to say. It seemed off to be everything.

"Anyway," Tommy indeed continued and rubbed his head, "I was wondering if I could get your help with something."

"Yes?"

"I'm a bit behind since I transferred so late and I was hoping, if you don't mind, you could help me get caught up?" So basically help with schoolwork; it seemed logical to Billy. Though none of the Rangers were slackers, all pretty much good students, Billy was the best. At schoolwork or things of an academic and scientific nature at least. Coming to him made sense, especially when he already tutored people anyway.

Billy took a moment to think over it and then nodded, deciding it was fine. Might help him get over some of the residual bad feeling he had. "Alright then Tommy, I would be glad to assist you."

"Really?" Tommy said seeming happy, "Awesome."

Billy nodded once more. "How about tomorrow, you can come to my house around one and I can see what areas of study you need the most assistance in."

"Sounds great," the green ranger said and smiled at Billy, "Thanks Billy."

Billy wanted to say it was nothing, that Tommy didn't need to thank him, but in that moment they found the vendor and Tommy ran on ahead to start ordering for the group. Billy was left following behind, watching their newest friend and thinking to himself about his agreement. Something felt weird about it but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Shrugging a bit Billy sped up his own approach to join Tommy at the vendor; he could worry about it, whatever it was, later.

 

About an hour later found the two boys, and the rest of their friends, relaxing on the grass in the park; their admittedly unhealthy lunch of hot dogs and chips was long since consumed and the group was just relaxing for a bit, enjoying a nice day for being nice and not moving. Tommy sat by Kim and not so secretly there seemed to be some wish in them both to be even closer; Billy had of course noticed it before, back when they first met Tommy. Love at first sight, a strange occurrence and one he thought of as perhaps no more than fairy tales, or something much less admittedly sweet as what sat before him. Kimberly had liked him since the moment she saw him and Tommy seemed to feel the same yet two months later there were mostly just stolen looks and occasional touches that led nowhere.

Of course they were not the only ones; this thinking of love and affection made him think of the others. Zack had found a girl for he seemed completely smitten with though the progress of that had been slowed by her utter disinterest and seeming disgust for Zack. It was really sad to watch, mostly for how much he truthfully seemed to care for her but Billy knew sooner or later either she'd like him for who he was or his dancing friend would find another to give his heart to. With Jason and Trini it seemed to him as if the other two didn't really care for their own love lives, if they had one at all, encouraging the others; they always seemed to be pushing the others along, whether it was teasing Zack, nudging Tommy and Kim closer or even trying to get Billy to at least try to associate with more girls. Somehow Billy doubted the others really noticed, wrapped up in their own things but then again observing and analyzing was what he did best; when the others practiced their martial arts and gymnastics, he sat back and people watched. He by far did not understand everything and everyone but he liked to think he understood his friends.

Then, of course, was himself. But he always stopped himself before starting on self-analysis; that could only lead to trouble. He could find something in him he never wanted to, or worse yet be wrong. He preferred others to introspective, much simpler and that was saying something. 

But maybe that was why he was alone; Kim and Tommy and Trini and Jason and Zack, they were all either not interested or actively pursuing. It wasn't that they weren't attractive enough. Honestly though he doubted he really was the kind girls might want, and after Marge...

He shook his head and someone spoke, "What's on your mind, Bill?"

Billy looked over to see Zack looking at him, leaned forward slightly with his arms on his knees. The others it turned out were staring at him too and he found himself unexpectedly, and mostly unwantedly, the center of attention.

He did not wish to share and smiled some. "Nothing of importance I assure you. Just the normal."

"Science stuff?" Zack asked laughing a bit.

Billy continued to smile and nod, watching as that seemed to reassure Zack and Trini. Tommy and Jason exchanged a look but ultimately seemed to just decide to believe him; only Kim continued to look unconvinced for a moment, something Billy both expected and was a bit concerned about. His friends were all perceptive, maybe it had to do with being a Ranger, maybe that was why they got chosen, but either way they noticed things. Though Billy could reassure them he had no doubt part of them was still curious and wasn't really fooled, and of them, when to came to him especially, Kimberly Hart was not easy to fool. And it wasn't because she was the Pink Ranger, heart of their team, and it wasn't because she was always so caring and kind; it was because she alone had known his mind, body switched by a fault in an experiment, and she could read him now. She could see past the lies, at least most of the time; he was pretty sure his half lie got past her but then again, maybe not. Kim was perhaps the trickiest of all.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile and Tommy said something to her, Billy wasn't really listening but it pulled her attention and quickly enough he found himself no longer of as much interest as the attractive Green Ranger. A blessing, he supposed, and he could have sworn he saw Tommy glance over with a small smile at him. But if so it was gone in the blink of an eye and like this was how the six rangers continued for a little longer.

 

Before going their separate ways, to go home, go train, to do whatever they did when they were individuals instead of part of the whole, they decided to have one more game. Maybe it was because Billy came in late to their last one, maybe it was because it was just such a beautiful day and it would be a pity not to enjoy it more, but quickly enough they found themselves involved in another round of Frisbee, running around and jumping to try and catch the elusive disc. It wasn't terribly strenuous, exactly how Billy liked it; he was getting better and he had already learn some helpful stuff when it came to fighting, both from Jason and from Trini's uncle Howard, but still he wasn't terribly big on physical exercise and wasn't, in his opinion at least, really all that built for it.

Case in point of the group he seemed to be the only one really managing to fail at catching the Frisbee, more than once having to chase it down as it ran from him. His friends didn't seem to mind at all, they never did; the others always encouraged him, always pushed him forward and didn't judge him. He was glad for them, having them as his friends, but he couldn't help but notice the difference between them, a valley of skill that, as he jumped up and caught the Frisbee, throwing it back, had him thinking yet again about his real worth as a ranger. He tried not to dwell on it, tried to push it from his mind, focusing on his friends, on playing and having fun with them.

He found himself laughing some, smiling as the Frisbee flew towards Jason and Zack and in true comedic two stooges fashion the dancer and the martial artist both tried to grab for it only to collide and stumble away, letting it escape. Trini bit back her own laughter and Kim put a hand over her mouth to hide her giggles; Tommy smirked and shook his head as the black and red rangers recovered from their accidental head-butt. "You two okay?"

"Yeah, just spinning from smacking my poor head against that rock Jason calls a skull," Zack said a little dramatically.

"Dude, if my head's a rock, yours is definitely some kind of super rock; twice the density and twice the pain," Jason replied, rubbing his head.

"There is actually no solid categorized as a 'super rock'," Billy interjected, still smiling, "Though diamond is considered the hardest geological mineral and would thus be harder than common slate or quartz."

"So you're saying my head is a diamond." There was a second of contemplation on the idea of Zack's head being made of diamond before everyone started laughing again. The Frisbee lay forgotten a few feet away as the game was abandoned in favor at trying to imagine the Black Ranger's head being a big diamond. It was pretty comical, or maybe they were just a bit hyperactive.

Jason grabbed the Frisbee and the group ended up saying their goodbyes for the day with that last image. Tommy walked Kim home, perhaps as part of an attempt to get some alone time, and Jason did the same with Trini; Zack was still chuckling as he walked off, leaving Billy alone. The genius sighed a bit before starting his own trek home; his mind started moving again, settling down from the silly moment and returning to other things.

His trepidation about Tommy coming over to study the next day was high on his list. He supposed it was that he was uncomfortable with him, though part of this was to help with that, but it felt like it was more than that. Much more.

His mind moved onto issue two, Tsuki at his house, and the click came. He wasn't too sure how he could have forgotten about the winged girl currently convalescing in his guest room but it struck him, like a truck head on going eighty miles an hour, that her being there and Tommy coming over might become a problem.

If he was the swearing type he might have; instead he cursed his mind for forgetting such an important thing. Now to try and deal with it; how to at least try and keep down the damage that was likely to ensue? Tommy was sure to notice her and realize Billy had been, half, lying to his friends about what he had been up to last night and of course the Green Ranger had no reason to keep Billy's secret. They barely knew each other after all. Billy supposed he could at least try to keep her hidden; if he did as he usually did with tutoring, restricting it mostly to the garage area, and Tsuki being injured stayed just to her room, then it was possible but unlikely; Tommy would be suspicious if Billy forbid him to enter the rest of the house and if he was anything like Jason, which they both knew he was, he'd probably go exploring anyway out of curiosity. Confining Tsuki herself shouldn't be too hard considering it seemed last night at least she couldn't move easily with her wing hurt so it all came down to how to keep Tommy from stumbling upon the strange guest in Billy's house.

Nothing had really come to him by the time he got back to his home; the best he had was not letting Tommy out of his sight and keep Tsuki quiet in the guest room, hopefully without making her feel bad for even being there. He didn't really want to do that.

He opened the front door and noticed first the strange noises; they seemed, after a moment of thought, to be originating from the kitchen. His mind skipped to a whole menagerie of ideas of what was going on but of course, walking into said kitchen, Occam's Razor came into play.

Tsuki was standing before one counter top, her injured wing somehow folded in enough to fit in the room; she didn't seem to notice him yet and was instead humming as she continued what she was doing. He stopped for a moment to watch, stare in confusion before shaking his head to try and clear it and speak, "Tsuki?"

She jumped and her wing ruffled, looking ready to unfold violently but it appeared she maintained enough control to keep from doing so; she did turn though, eyes wide as she looked at him, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. In her hand was a spatula and just beyond her on the counter Billy could now make out the bowl full of something that apparently she had been stirring. She blinked. “Billy!”

“Tsuki, what are you doing?” he asked, furrowing his brow as he walked over, “Should you be moving about? How is your injury? How did you extract yourself from the room with your appendage expanded as it is?”

“Oh um,” she said and bit her lip, looking away and at the bowl, “Well I was bored and hungry and you were gone and I thought maybe....”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe....it would be nice....if I made you something?” she said giving a weak sort of smile, obviously hoping it would turn out as something good in his mind too and not a nusiance. The weakness betrayed her own fears, an insecurity that honestly touched him and once more he found himself assured, even just to himself, that there was no way she could be a monster.

He smiled back at her after a moment, a way to tell her that no, it was not bad, and he looked to the bowl and it's unknown form within. “What is it then?”

“Oh cookies,” she said and her smile grew some, her feathers fluttering again as she spoke, “I don't know why but they were the first thing that came to mind.”

“Cookies.” Billy had as much of a sweet tooth as anyone honestly and he found himself wondering when last it was that he had had home baked cookies. A closer look told him little of what kind; he didn't bake or cook, his last attempt causing Kim to scold him greatly, admittedly for failing so badly while pretending to be her. Still it made him chuckle a little and feel warmed at her consideration.

“Can you effectively maneuver to operate the oven?” With her wing the way it was it had to be difficult to move about, not to mention bend down enough to be able to put cookies into the oven. It occurred to him she still had not answered his inquiry on how he got out of the room.

She thought for a moment, tilting her head. “I don't know. I mean it was not too difficult getting out here; my wing isn't in such a bad state that I can't move it about so I just moved it so I could get through the door and hallway to here. But I will admit that it may be difficult to actually put these into the oven....”

Tsuki looked disappointed and her wings even seemed to droop some. Billy couldn't resist feeling a bit bad about it and tried to cheer her up some. “No worries, Tsuki. How about you work on the creation of formation of the baked confectioneries and I will assist you by handling the actual transportation and placement into the heating receptacle?”

She blinked at him again but livened up quickly enough and smiled, nodding. “Sure Billy, thanks~”

He smiled in return and watched as she returned to stirring; he was fascinated honestly, he always was in this sort of situation. He could barely handle sandwiches, and while he could create new complex chemical bonds, he could build a car that could fly, he could make a machine that could switch minds, he couldn't get how to make cookies properly, how to put together a casserole, to cook. But she seemed able to; she hummed again and he had a sensation come over him, like an old memory. Someone else standing in that kitchen and cooking and it filled him with nostalgia, and sadness. He felt sad remembering and he tried not to look away, his eyes tracking as Tsuki grabbed a spoon and started to spoon out balls of dough onto a cookie sheet, carefully placing each, methodical, perfect. And she looked up at him, red and blue meeting again before she smiled and spoke, “First batch ready for the oven.”

He blinked, taking a second to remember what he had promised only seconds before then nodded, grabbing the sheet carefully and opening the oven with one hand, glad to find it already preheated. All he need do was put it in and closing the door after he stood up straight again to look at her, finding her smiling at him, watching him too. Tommy crossed his mind again, and what was to happen the next day, and he wondered if this was really going to be okay and what to do and whether it would be better to hide her or not, to hope to keep Tommy to one area of the house or trap Tsuki in her room instead. He felt conflicted and worried and here she was making him cookies while he was thinking of forcing her to stay in one room for what would be likely more than a few hours.

“I apologize for leaving you to awaken from your slumber alone,” he spoke finally, not on what he really wanted to but on something that did also minorly worry him; she had to have felt confused, awakening in the strange place without him.

Tsuki looked concerned for a moment then shook her head, smiling; her wings fluttered again as she spoke, “It's alright Billy, you left me a note after all so I wasn't too worried about you. I'm just thankful for your help last night; I never could have gotten anywhere on my own in as much pain as I was.”

He smiled in relief. “Good to hear. Not that you were incapable of solitary movement without assistance, rather that I am relieved to know you were not concerned or frightened.”

“Of course, I trusted you to do what you thought was right after all,” Tsuki told him and smiled brightly at him.

Guilt stabbed at his heart and he furrowed his brow. “Right....what I thought was right....”

“Billy?” She noticed the strangeness in his response and her expression turned concerned, not for herself but him; she was worried about him. How sweet.

“Um....I do believe that we are in need of a talk, Tsuki.” He walked over to the dining room table, taking a seat and waiting for her to do the same.

The winged girl tilted her head again then followed, struggling slightly but finally managing to sit with her wings still partially unfolded. Billy took a deep breath, deciding he should; he had to tell her, to try and get her to understand his mistake and maybe, just maybe, get some advice on what to do next. After all he realized, even if she did trust him to make the right choice, he was not so certain in his own being. And a little advice goes a long way.


	4. And Green Makes a Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy come over, Billy worries and Tsuki gives out hugs

Billy could be thankful for the fact that at least he managed to get a little time in the day before Tommy was set to show up at his house, not that it turned out to be too terribly necessary. In all truth once he had spoken to Tsuki and gotten the situation across, feeling bad throughout the experience of trying to tell her that she would have to hide but having to add the sensation of feeling stupid when she seemed to completely understand and be willing, it turned out this was far easier than he might have thought at first. He would admit to himself, as he wandered around his house, with occasional glances over at the clock hanging in the kitchen, that he might have been overthinking quite a bit; Tsuki was safely in her room, sharing the space with a few piles of books which she had been interested in reading while he was busy with Tommy, and there was still an hour or so before the green ranger was set to show up. Billy had more than enough time to try and relax just a bit before getting into tutoring his newest teammate.

He was starting to think of this arrangement in a sort of detached fashion, in that he recognized what the Billy from yesterday had been thinking in agreeing to this but as the Billy for today he was wondering if maybe it might not turn out to be the best idea. It was not simply about Tsuki, something that occurred to him would be very bad if Tommy was to find out since Billy had effectively lied and held back something that could be important for the others to know, but also about Tommy himself; he knew his feeling of suspicion was wrong, if it could even be called suspicion. It wasn't so much that he expected Tommy to attack him or the others, he was their friend now after all. Billy knew this was supposed to be illogical, treating Tommy this way when he knew that the boy had been dragged into Rita's darkness.

And if he hadn't been? said a little voice in Billy's head. What if it's an act? What if he had never been under a spell to start with? What if this whole thing is really so he can destroy you separately? You're after all not exactly the best fighter of the Rangers, you're an easy target. He wouldn't even have trouble killing you and then what? The Rangers can't fix the Command Center a second time if you're not there and it will be your fault because you were unwilling to listen to your instincts...

“No.” He shook his head and headed into the garage; taking a seat in his computer chair he rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. He refused to listen to little voices in his mind, it was just a psychological manifestation of his own inner doubts and fears, nothing close to being acceptable as a source of good advice. Tommy was not an enemy, Tommy was a friend; no matter what his own worries might be, this was not a point of contention. The Green Ranger had been controlled and manipulated by Rita and the Power Rangers, all five of them, had worked to free him from that control; the Sword of Darkness was gone, Tommy had been free to make his choice and he had chosen to work with them, to be their friend, the side of good. All the easier to win your trust and complete his mission to destroy you...

“Shut up,” Billy said, a little louder and a little harsher than he initially meant to; now he was talking to the voice directly, a clear sign of madness. It could not end well.

“Billy?” The sudden other voice, not within his own mind, threw him from his own inner revel and he opened his eyes wide to look up and see the subject of his doubts standing before him; sunlight poured in through the open garage door and lit up the world behind Tommy. The boy himself was looking down at the blue with concern on his face and he reached out to put a hand on Billy's shoulder.

The touch though shocked the genius and he pulled away quickly, blinking for a second then looked for a clock. Did he seriously just lose an hour somehow? How was that even possible? Tommy seemed to pick up on it and chuckled lightly, pulling back. “I figured I'd come by a little early; nerves I guess.”  
“Nerves?” Billy questioned watching as Tommy rubbed his own head; the blue furrowed his brow, “Why nerves?”

“You kidding? Being tutored by a genius like you is sure to be quite the experience,” Tommy answered and there seemed to be a genuine aspect to his words. He meant it and while Billy was used to being referred to as a genius, it happened often enough he found it awkward to think of anyone being intimidated of him for whatever reason.

He bit his lip then nodded, looking away. “I see. Well there is no cause for being apprehensive; this session is fully to assist you in the act of advancing your understanding of the academics at Angel Grove so you may feel more at ease.”

With that he stood up and rushed away, giving Tommy no time to really respond to that before asking a question, “So tell me, what subjects are you desiring instruction in today?”

“Uh,” Tommy started and watched as Billy walked around his lab, taking out books, “I don't know, man, math I guess?”

“Mathematics it is then,” Billy responded and grabbed a textbook from a shelf, walking back over to Tommy; he blinked upon seeing the confused look upon the Green's face and bit his lip, “You may relax, Tommy.”

Gesturing towards a chair Billy waited for Tommy to sit before bringing the book to him; honestly he was nervous himself. His mind had not been fully quieted from before and in all honesty it was not made easier having the subject of his concerns in the same room as him. He did believe Tommy wanted to destroy him or any of the others but simply not believing the worst did not make the knots in his chest and mind unfurl; it was a matter of time he tried to tell himself, that he would simply need more time with Tommy; perhaps then this arrangement would turn out to be beneficial in more ways than one.

 

Neither boy seemed to be keeping track of time as they went through the current chapters and equations being done in the math classes that the Rangers found themselves in; Billy found himself not so much lost in the information but surprised by how easily Tommy seemed to absorb it himself. He knew none of the Rangers were slouches when it came to academics, it was a fact that made him wonder on occasion the exact full requirements to be able to bond with the Morphing Grid, but Tommy seemed to be something else; perhaps not quite at the same level as Billy, not that he wanted to think of himself as truly above the others in any true aspect, but there was certainly a hunger for knowledge and a capacity for learning that honestly did delight a part of the genius ranger.

They had moved on from math to science to literature, each subject proving fascinating to both and Billy found himself more lost in the actual conversation they got into, a soft sort of smile across his face when he heard a sudden and strange growl. He blinked, ripped suddenly from what felt like a far better revelry than he had been when Tommy had first appeared in his garage and heard Tommy give an easy laugh.

“Sounds like break time,” the other boy said and Billy found himself blinking before looking to the clock in his garage, finding it far easier this time around. 4:18; Tommy was right, they had been going for at least four hours at this point.

“Agreed,” he said and got up, smiling, “Shall we then retire to the kitchen for some nourishment and a rest before getting back to work?”

Tommy chuckled and stood as well, hands in the pockets of his pants. “Sure, Billy, lead the way.”

Billy nodded and started for the door leading back into the house proper, well aware that Tommy would be right behind him. Thus far it seemed things were going well; Tommy hadn't tried to murder him while they were working and they had made impressive progress in multiple areas, to a degree that both seemed rather pleased with. And on top of that it seemed that Tsuki had not left her room yet, as he checked while Tommy was in the kitchen, the blonde boy looking into the living room and keeping an ear perked. No sign of hair nor feather of the girl; he smiled to himself before returning to his guest, “So what kind of snack shall we partake?”

“Actually can I go use the restroom for a second?” Tommy asked.

“Of course,” Billy responded and gestured towards the hallway, “Second door on the left; I think I shall make myself sandwich while you are gone.”

The green ranger nodded and walked in the direction Billy had indicted; with a soft hum he got to work, once more finding himself grabbing the ingredients from the cabinets and refrigerator. He was hoping at least, if nothing but to himself, that this attempt might even look better than the last one; if he was lucky he might be able to sneak a few into Tsuki's room so she could finally taste one of his sandwiches, considering the last time he had made them for her. Actually, as he was placing down two slices of bread and opened the mayo jar, it occurred to him that he had forgotten to give her some food so she didn't get hungry in her room for however long she might be in there; though they had woken up relatively early that day breakfast had not been all that impressive, the groceries in and of themselves rather scarce. As the day before Tsuki had shown an ability to cook that made him semi-happy to have made the choice to have her around, cooking them both a simple enough breakfast of eggs and toast. It was nice but he doubted that was enough for her considering the extra energy she had to be expending upon healing and with her wings out like they were; the checkup he had done on her wing that morning had turned out some interesting developments, mainly on the speed of her healing process, but it would still take more time before she would likely be able to pull back in her wings. He wondered if she could actually hide her wings, was that a possibility? When folded did they stay against her back or did they somehow just disappear like magic? How exactly did her body work in either event, what was her body structure with the wings and what was the change if her wings could just be disappeared?

He was so in depth to his thoughts once more that it didn't register in her mind immediately the loud scream that rang through in the air but once it did Billy pinpointed it as being in the direction that Tommy had been told to go. Worried that perhaps a monster or a putty or something had attacked Tommy while he was vulnerable in the bathroom, it was not as if Rita was unaware of his house if the body switching meant anything, the boy genius abandoned his lunch and rushed off towards the bathroom, soon finding a far worse result standing before him of letting Tommy wander off into the house alone.

The door to the guest room was open and Tommy looked ready to strike, in a full out marital arts attack stance, glaring over at where Tsuki was sitting on the ground, still surrounded by books; Billy had no doubt who had screamed. The green ranger looked on edge and was yelling at her, demanding what she was doing here, what she was. Meanwhile the girl in question was terrified; her wings were wrapped around her body, almost the same as when he had found her, but even without seeing her face he could see the way her wings trembled, the shaking of her injured wing in the stress of trying to wrap it around her, and a soft noise akin to sobbing.

Billy could not fault Tommy his reaction, and as the green noticed him Tommy gave him a quick nod. “I found her in here when I was trying to go to the bathroom; seems like she snuck in, probably planning on attacking us while we weren't looking. Don't worry though, I'm sure we can deal with this. She doesn't look too strong.”

No he couldn't fault him but it didn't stop him, as Tommy made his move to actually strike the frightened girl, from running over, getting between the two and taking the hit instead. He let out a small cry and Tommy's eyes widened, the green ranger stepping back and relaxing his body; Billy stumbled a bit and knelt down, coughing. The punch had gone right at his chest and his whole body felt like it was vibrating; but of course, Tommy was a martial arts expert, on par with Jason. And Billy was Billy.

Continuing to cough he heard the shuffling of feathers and felt a hand on his shoulder as Tsuki came out of her winged cocoon, “Billy! Billy, oh god, are you okay?!”

“Billy,” Tommy said stunned and watched as his teammate struggled to breathe.

Billy forced a smile and turned his head to look at her, not really wishing to worry her, not over something like this, not after she'd been so scared and not with her own injuries being far worse than this. He reached out and adjusted her askew glasses, chuckling weakly. “It's fine, Tsuki, I am no less fit than I was prior. Please do not concern yourself, I was not seriously harmed.” He turned to look at Tommy, his words for him as well; it seemed to him that Tommy perhaps was in shock over harming a teammate and it would be of good will to try and reassure the other teenager as well.

“Billy, what is going on here?” Tommy finally spoke after another moment, Billy getting to his feet again with Tsuki's assistance; the green ranger furrowed his brow and frowned, “Why did you jump in like that, why did you save this monster?”

“She's not a monster,” Billy said sternly then paused and continued with a little less conviction, “At least I am fairly certain that she is not of a dangerous attribute.”

Tsuki held onto Billy's arm and hid behind him, wings rustling as she watched Tommy carefully, who did the same to her before returning his attention to Billy. He wasn't too sure what to make of this situation but he knew that something was certainly going on and Billy had some explaining to do. He sighed heavily and crossed his arms, regarding Billy with a raised eyebrow. “Okay genius boy, how about you explain what's going on then, from the beginning.”

Billy sighed as well but faced with this, now that Tommy had seen her as he had feared, he knew the only proper response was to do as Tommy said: to explain.

And so he did; he started with the Perseid meteor shower and how he had seen the bright light and found her where he had expected a meteor to land but where instead the injured Tsuki had been. He relayed bringing her home but at that point Tommy's brow had, somehow, furrowed more and he spoke up, “You didn't think to tell Zordon, or the rest of the team?”

Billy frowned. “Of course it passed my mind to inform the others of my discovery but as it was quite late and I was not entirely certain of whether it would be conceivable to teleport her into the Command Center when she herself is neither Alpha nor has a Power Coin such as we do. In addition the damage to her wing was extensive enough that treating it was of a higher necessity than interrupting the sleep patterns of my teammates.”

“You don't even know what she is, Billy; what if you're helping an enemy?” Tommy said sighing, “I mean, come on, she has wings for god's sake and look at her eyes.”

He pointed at her and Tsuki hid herself further behind Billy, or tried though the wings did make it difficult. Billy felt annoyed and he shook his head. “Having wings or strange colored eyes does not make an enemy, Thomas. She was injured and she was in need of assistance; if she did turn out to be a danger to me do you think I could not handle the situation?”

Tommy froze up and Billy narrowed his eyes. There it was; either Tommy said he did trust Billy to be able to do it, admitting the boy was never in any actual danger, or he could say he didn't think Billy could handle an injured girl. It was a no-win situation and both of them knew it; not that Billy didn't understand the green's feelings on the matter, it wasn't as if he didn't see this all coming from the very thought of Tommy stumbling across Tsuki, but it didn't change the facts here either.

Finally the other boy sighed and ran a hand over his hair. “Billy, we have to tell the others. They have to know about this; they need to know about you finding her and about you lying to them.”

“I did not entirely lie to them,” Billy corrected but he knew Tommy was right; still looking back at Tsuki for a moment, he did not feel entirely okay about it, “Can we at least wait until she's healed?”

“Billy....”

“A full team of six Rangers should have no trouble with her when she is fully healed and it should take no more than a few more weeks,” he tried to reason, “Her body's ability to heal itself is quite impressive; I would estimate it works at a rate at least twice that of the average human's; the injuries are upon more sensitive extremities but-”

“We cannot wait for her to heal, Billy,” Tommy said with another sigh, “We have to tell them now.”

“But Tommy-”

“No.” Billy glanced at Tsuki again and felt his heart drop. He knew Tommy was right, he knew that they had to tell the others but it was hard to compare that to the knowledge of what would likely happen; Tommy had tried to attack her the moment he saw her, there was no doubt the others would do the same, injured or not. And he couldn't help but remember how scared she'd been only a little while before, the pain on her face as she had fallen into his arms, the lightness of her body and the sweetness of the cookies she'd made for him. That he'd fallen asleep next to the bed and she had draped a wing over him to keep him warm. That she had had chances, more than enough, to hurt him. And she never had.

He frowned and shook his head. “No, she needs our help; we cannot move her yet.”

“Billy!”

“No Tommy,” Billy said and looked at him, “If we brought her before Zordon and the others, would they really react any less than you did upon finding her? She has not done any me any harm, despite an abundance of opportunities to do so; she deserves to be given a chance...”

“They'll give her a chance, Billy!”

“They'll see her as a monster just as you do.”

“Not if you-”

“You said it yourself; I lied to them. How can they be sure I have not been hypnotized, tricked by one who does not appear entirely human? It would not be the first time I have been compromised by Rita after all. They will likely think the same now.”

Tommy's frown deepened. “Billy, those are your friends you're talking about; do you really think they would just destroy an injured person, monster or not?”

Billy bit his lip and looked away. “Tommy, I do not know; I do not truly wish to believe that they would, that they are of the kind to give more consideration than the immediacy of a monster, but I do not wish these last two days to be a waste either. Let her heal further, when she is better then if she proves to be a danger then we can inform the others.”

“We?” Tommy asked, “Billy, I'm not going to keep secrets from the others, not like this; they already don't trust me...”

“They trust you, Tommy,” Billy said nodded, “Besides...you need not say how much you knew. It could simply be that I came to you with the information, I would take the entirety of the blame.”

“Billy.” It was first time Tsuki had actually spoken in the entire time and he turned his head to her as she squeezed his arm, frowning too herself. She shook her head, “No, I don't want you to do that.”

“It is alright, I have already thus far concealed information from my team and thus am already implicated in the lie; it would not be much further trouble to simply tell them of my lie later on,” he said and tried to smile, tried to reassure her.

She was unconvinced and shook her head more before looking at Tommy, eyes set upon him from behind her stained glasses. “If I go with you now can we tell them Billy had nothing to do with this?”

Tommy blinked, seemed taken a bit back. “Um well I don't know....”

“You could just say you found me; we could go back to the forest or something and you could call your friends there, we can just pretend the last few days never happened,” she said and bit her lip before stepping out from behind Billy, “Please, I don't want him to get in trouble because of me.”

“But if you do that,” Billy said and grabbed her arm, hesitating for a second before continuing, “They will destroy you.”

Her injury wouldn't matter, her perceived goodness, her oddities; if Tommy called the rangers out into the woods to deal with her, then they would deal with her in a final fashion. He gripped her arm and she smiled at him. 

“It'll be okay Billy; I'd rather that than see you get into trouble because of me. I mean,” she started and there was a minor tremor in her body and he knew she was scared despite her smile and words, “We don't know I'm not a monster; I can't remember anything outside of my name after all. I don't want to see you get hurt, not when you've been so kind to me, bandaging my wing and letting me stay here. Thank you.”

He stared at her for a moment and he tried to think of the words but they failed him. Tommy stood and watched the two of them, looking from one to the other in silence for a moment before sighing once more. “Damnit...”

Both turned to him as he started to pace a bit. “I really don't want to do this, seriously Billy; like after everything, after Rita and the Green Ranger fiasco and me being the new kid anyway, I really don't like the idea of lying and keeping secrets. I mean seriously this will come out eventually right? It has to and we will get in trouble when it does. You should really be thinking more about your friends, Bill, I expect so much better from you.”

Billy blinked. “Tommy?”

“I won't tell the others,” he said finally, “she can keep healing up here.”

There was a second in which Billy had to take to try and process what exactly Tommy had just told them; Tsuki herself was quicker to get it and with a smile went over and hugged Tommy, throwing the boy not only off balance but off his guard. A blush crossed his face and he blinked wildly for a moment as she spoke, “Thank you so much!~”

Billy came back to his senses watching this and had to chuckle, “I must admit to some envy over her initiating such contact with you, Tommy; she has yet to show me that much emotion after all.”

“Well then,” Tsuki said and detached herself from Tommy to latch onto Billy, both laughing as they stumbled back onto the bed.

Tommy watched this too and a chuckle bubbled up inside him, smiling as she snuggled the genius, both of their glasses knocked out of order at which point both, almost in perfect unison, moved to correct them. He shook his head and sat down on the floor, “This is going to be hard, we gotta admit that, right? I mean, it's already weird right?”

“Weird?” Billy asked adjusting his glasses some more, “Do you mean perhaps the fact that Zordon does not seem to already know?”

He nodded. “Some all seeing mentor we have; wonder why the Morphing Grid hasn't told him about our little angel girl here.”

“We cannot know without investigation and we cannot investigate without being known,” Billy said with a nod, “We must only be thankful for the events....on which case, thank you.”

The green ranger blinked and stared at him for a moment before shrugging, turning away. “Eh don't even start, Billy. I really shouldn't be doing this.”

“Then why agree?” Tsuki inquired and tilted her head some, wings fluttering.

Billy had to admit to having the same question; what exactly did possess Tommy to agree to do this? The boy had many points on why they shouldn't hide this, and both Billy and Tsuki had agreed, admittedly to different plans, to make her existence known. The boy had a free card to not involve himself more than in bringing this to Zordon and the team's attention yet....yet here he was, agreeing to keep the secret, to allow her to continue to stay here and heal. Though the change in attitude was not exactly unwanted, it certainly left Billy wondering.

Tommy himself did not answer, not for a few minutes at least. Finally though, and with a small smile and light laugh, he turned his head to look at both of them, chocolate eyes hiding more than the words revealed, “I was convinced by your utter dorkiness, both of you. Now come on, let's go get some food; I'm starving, Billy's probably starving, you starving?”

Tsuki blinked then nodded her head and he laughed again, “Well then let's go to the kitchen.”

He headed out of the room without waiting for an answer, seeming to assume one for himself. She looked at Billy and the boy sat there for a moment on the bed, contemplating. Then shook his head and standing up, he offered a hand to her and smiled “Shall we then, Tsuki.”

She could not help but smile as well, taking his hand and getting to her feet. “Alright Billy.” The two started after Tommy to join the other boy back in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I wanted to finish this in time for April 1st; why? Because of April Fools?  
> NO! Because, boys girls and non-binaries, IT'S BILLY'S BIRTHDAY!~ *throws confetti* Happy Birthday Billy boy!~   
> Hopefully this wasn't too bad and next chapter of Ranger's Initiative should be up later this month XD For now bye-bi!~)


	5. A Moment of Excitement and Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer is hot, a plan is made, stories are told and a step towards the future is made.

“What are your parents' thoughts on this?” Billy would admit that the next week had ended up different than he could have ever actually imagined and not simply because of the addition of a new housemate in Tsuki. After that first not-quite-disasterous tutoring session, the blue ranger had found himself with a daily visitor in Tommy. It had startled him to tell the truth when, the day after, he had woken up to the sound of knocking at his front door to find Tommy standing there, holding a bag which, as they learned soon enough, was filled with some old clothes.

“I noticed the state of her clothes and thought some choice might help” had been his explanation. The fact that the girl in question had wings and thus would find it difficult to wear the clothes as they were had, once reiterated to him, left the green ranger speechless and Billy had been forced to do his best to stifle a laugh at the look on his face. Still it had not stopped him; instead Tsuki had worked to modify the clothes and Tommy had stayed, talking, questioning. He was very curious and while neither Billy nor Tsuki could really question many questions, it didn't seem to distress any of them much. And the boy genius was honestly happy for the company.

This day had found the trio in the backyard, as had quickly become customary through the passing of their days together; the sun was beating down on them and the summer heat, in it's last month of acceptable life, was attempting to take others with it by trying to melt everything and everyone it could. Tommy was sitting on the old plastic lawn table under the awning, wearing just a green cloth undershirt and shorts, legs swinging over the edge; his hair was up in a messy bun, stray strands sticking to his face with sweat. Billy was tinkering with Tommy's communicator, trying to figure out what was wrong with it, the combination of his intense focus and the warmth of the summer day causing him to sweat; he'd forgone his usual overalls for shorts of his own though he stuck to wearing a blue t-shirt. A few feet away, out in the direct light of the sun, Tsuki was laying out on the grass on her stomach, looking as if she had simply fallen over like that, her wings spread out and her arms over her head to keep them from under the warmth of her dark feathers. With Tommy's help they had changed her bandages and the damage was healing up nicely; her own summer garb consisted of her skirt, the only thing not so torn up of her own clothing, as well as one of Tommy's old shirts with holes ripped into the back for her wings of course. Tommy said she looked cute; Billy wondered if this made the clothes less or more acceptable.

As Tommy had spoken, and it had been him who had let those words slip, the blue ranger glanced over and blinked; the other boy was watching him, not terribly intently but with purpose. Billy was silent for a moment, his brow furrowing before he turned away. His attention fell on Tsuki, still innocently sunbathing, and his fingers stopped. “My father is unaware as of yet; he is not set to return from his conference for another few days but I suspect with little effort I can effectively conceal the current circumstances from him.” How would Billy possibly explain a girl with wings? An experiment gone wrong? Even his father was not so scatterbrained as to simply let that one slide but he was certainly he could come up with something.

“Oh,” Tommy responded and there was silence, enough so that Billy had hoped that topic was ended, that the inevitable would be left alone; it wasn't, “And your mom?”

It was still hot out but Billy could swear for a second that it felt suddenly ice cold. He didn't want to talk about that but it wasn't like Tommy knew about it already, it's not like he meant any harm.

Still Billy nearly found himself unable to speak before finally managing to force the words out, slow and careful, “My mom....is dead."

Tommy didn't respond at first and Billy looked to him in hopes of reading his expression but he didn't see anything telling; the other boy was just staring at him. He was waiting though, he waited for The Smile, the one that always seemed to come when the subject came up; most gave it, his own friends had when everything had happened. He hated it, Billy hated so few things in the world to tell the truth but he knew he hated The Smile, and the very thought of seeing it again, of seeing it from Tommy, that put him on edge.

But if Billy believed in them he might have believed a miracle occurred; it didn't come. Tommy didn't give The Smile, though he gave a smile; he nodded, in a way that struck Billy has being not sympathy but understanding. “I see.”

Just two words. Billy continued to watch Tommy but the green ranger turned his gaze towards Tsuki and the girl's wings fluttered a bit, an easy chuckle leaving him as she seemed to try to lift her wings, to stretch or perhaps take off and fly. Billy too turned to her and watching the large appendages fluttered and furled, the smooth black feathers rippling with the movement and once more his mind slipped over to the night, when he had last seen her fly, when he could just barely see her. It made him smile a bit and then laugh just a bit as he watched her try to flap her wings and make a whining noise.

“It's so hot,” Tsuki spoke, loud enough for both to hear.

“It's summer,” Tommy replied to which she just whimpered and flapped a bit harder before dropping her wings, not so much unceremoniously but certainly with a sense of defeat.

The green shook his head then leaned back on the table with a deep sigh. “I gotta say this is rather unbearable; I mean I know it's still summer but I feel like I might die at this rate.”

“I highly doubt you or I or Tsuki will truly expire from an excess of heat,” Billy commented and as the two continued to whine, he added, “Though I will concede that the temperature today is uncomfortable indeed.”

“We should do something about it,” Tommy said and Tsuki lifted herself up, wings twitching as she tilted her head in intrigue.

“Do you have a suggestion?” Billy asked Tommy raising an eyebrow at him. Cool food might be nice but it would be very temporary and he did not have a sprinkler or anything like that; he supposed he could build one but that would still take time, during which they would still be uncomfortable.

“Let's go to the beach.” The one Tommy gave made the other boy stop for a moment. Okay that was a valid enough suggestion he supposed but Billy found himself thinking almost immediately of the reasons why that may be unlikely to be possible. He blinked for a moment, trying to think and figure out exactly how he wanted to respond to that but nothing specifically came to mind now that he thought about it. He just continued to stare at Tommy and finally the boy sighed. “Okay what is on your mind, Brainiac?”

“I think he's concerned,” Tsuki said tilting her head slightly as she regarded her benefactor.

Billy nodded. “Affirmative.”

“Well I wasn't thinking that we go to a beach near here or anything like that,” Tommy said, trying to reassure Billy, rubbing his head, “Somewhere further away I figured; I mean we have a car right? Your Radbug can fly so I figured...”

“How would you suggest we handle the matter of Tsuki's wounded avian appendage?” Billy asked raising an eyebrow.

“My wing is healing though,” Tsuki said sheepishly, her wings fluttering, “I can move it around and everything.”

“But folding it....”

“I can handle it long enough to get into a car probably,” she said and bit her lip; the look she gave him was imploring and he was uncertain what to do or say to that.

Admittedly Billy was not against the beach, nor finding a way to cool down in general; it would likely not be too terribly difficult to find a beach that wouldn't be too far away and still not put them in too much danger of detection. The thought of going alone with Tsuki and Tommy of course felt odd, Billy wasn't normally the type to go out without his larger group of friends, but that was far from a serious concern he found; it really was more on other things. Whether Tsuki could get into the car with her wing still hurt, if the Radbug would be okay going a far distance to wherever they would go, the chances of being sighted just flying, the edges of doubt about Tommy himself that just wouldn't die away...

He felt a tug on his shirt sleeve and blinked, looking up to see Tsuki looking down at him. She had gotten up it seemed and walked over to him, her wings hanging over her sides and acting sort of like shade; looking into her crimson eyes he couldn't exactly find the words to say no. Billy sighed slightly and rubbed his head, “I suppose if you are certain you will not be harming yourself further with such a venture, we could make an attempt at visiting a local seaside establishment.”

Tommy raised an eyebrow for a moment. “Soooo....yeess?”

“Affirmative,” Billy said nodding and Tsuki beamed before hugging him.

“I promise I'll be okay,” she said and he blushed, stiffening in the hug, still not used to the affectionate gesture completely; still after a second or two he found himself trying to put his arms around her, to hug her as well but stopped himself.

“C-come, if we wish to not waste time we should proceed towards preparations,” he said, feeling her let go and pull away.

Tommy watched them through this before nodding. “Right, we'll need stuff won't we? Snacks, towels, a beach umbrella, swim gear, we can stop by my house and pick up some of my stuff.”

“I'll go to the car,” Tsuki said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice and rushed off towards the garage.

The boys simply looked after her for a second before Tommy once more spoke, “She hasn't left the house since you found her?”

Billy shook his head and the green sighed, rubbing his head before turning to his friend with a smile. “Well then we better not leave her waiting; let's go Bill.”

The blue looked at him as Tommy opened the screen door leading back into the house and stopped to glance back over at him, causing Billy to freeze for a moment, uncertain what exactly stopped him; it simply felt, for a moment, like everything stopped and his body couldn't move. But Tommy smiled at him and Billy felt his head nod in some sort of agreement before joining him.

 

 

Less than an hour later found the trio, packed and ready, in the car and already in the air. Tommy was in the passenger seat, a map laid over his lap, his hands holding it down as he squinted at it; the AC was blasting to try to keep them all as cool as possible without the danger of opening the windows. Billy was driving and trying his best not to glance too often at Tommy nor into the back seat where Tsuki was sitting with all their supplies for the beach adventure; she had indeed managed to get into the car but her wing had found it difficult to stay folded for more than a few minutes at a time. As it was then she was off to one side, her uninjured wing folded at her back still while the other was stretched out as much as she could manage in the backseat; Tommy had noted the danger of having her wing obscuring Billy's ability to see behind the car but she had promised to keep an eye out for him then and they had managed to back out of the garage and get to a safe spot to be able to get up in the air, allowing her alone of the trio to fall asleep. Her head was rested against the window, with strands of long hair fallen over her face, and as he gave into his urge to not only see what Tommy was up to but to check in on Tsuki, a light smile crossed Billy's lips. She had a beach ball in her arms, one Tommy had had at his home, a silly sort of sight; Billy didn't even notice Tommy looking up from the map to glance at him before turning his head to see what it was he was looking at.

“She's cute asleep,” Tommy said and Billy blinked, his attention back on the now smirking green, “But not cute enough to warrant you possibly getting us killed; I know there's no road but still, try to keep your eyes ahead.”

“Oh,” Billy said, blushing and turning back around, “Sorry.”

Tommy shrugged. “No worries, just be careful. You never know when an airplane might show up to fly into our path.”

The blue had to give it to him, the idea of the Radbug crashing into a plane sending a rather unsettled shiver through Billy. He cleared his throat carefully, keeping his eyes forward to the skies before them; they were above the clouds and he found himself glad he had modified the Radbug to handle such heights. The thought of what might happen to them at such a high altitude without proper preparation was troubling; still the view was somewhat worth it, a beautiful canvas of blue above them with a sea of white and gray below.

“So,” he spoke carefully, “Do you have an inclination towards a destination?”

“There's lots of beaches honestly,” Tommy said and a sigh escaped him, turning to the map again, “I was thinking we should stay in California at least; easier that way, on all of us.”

Billy nodded in understanding and Tommy continued on. “That said it's California; there's a LOT of beaches. But I was thinking...”

“Yes?”

“There's a nice little town further down in the southern half; it should be a good place, not too far but not close enough for us to be in much danger of being bothered,” Tommy said smiling and looking up again from the map.

Billy paused for a second to think then gave another nod, finding a smile crossing his lips as he turned his head to acknowledge Tommy. “An excellent choice, shall we then?”

“Course; let's see if we can find the road then and go from there.” The blue started to lower the car and there was a slow lurch as they drove lower and lower. From the backseat came a slight groggy whine but nothing more; Tommy checked to find Tsuki still lost to her dreams, still clinging to the beach ball. Soon enough the feeling of the car hitting a road was felt and another groan that amounted to nothing. The horizon was made of mountains, a valley of barren land; moments passed in which there was nothing more, no signs of any life, and Billy almost started to worry when finally they drove by one sign. “Amarisa, ten miles”

“That's it,” Tommy said pointing ahead, “Amarisa, should be a good place to stop and go.”

“Affirmative,” Billy said, trusting in Tommy.

The ten miles went by quickly enough; seven minutes later the trio found themselves back in civilization, a lovely little city by the water. There was something familiar about it to Billy and driving through the streets, seeing the houses and the people out and about, it occurred to him that it reminded him of Angel Grove. _But it doesn't probably have issues with monsters and aliens attacking on a regular basis_ , he thought to himself as he continued on; few places had that issue of Angel Grove's, and truth be to told as similar as this place felt, it could never be Angel Grove. There only was one, his dear hometown with all it's problems and quirks.

“Nice town,” Tommy spoke up, looking out the window.

Billy nodded once more. “Indeed.”

“But it's no Angel Grove, that's what you're thinking right?” Billy froze for a second, thought the car kept moving and Tommy jerked to try and grab the wheel when he saw the look on the boy's face but Billy recovered quickly enough, shaking his head. Outside of trying to reason out how Tommy could see that so easily he felt a bit bad for almost getting them into trouble and shook his head.

“Tommy...”

“Chill, man, I was just thinking the same thing and figured it might be,” Tommy said and sat back in his seat; he glanced back at Tsuki again, “I mean I haven't been in Angel Grove long but I like it; it's a nice little city, warm but not just temperature-wise you know? It just has a friendly warmth to it, like nothing bad can happen there...well you know what I mean. I'm sure this place is nice too of course but I've never actually known a place like Angel Grove before.”

There was no response to that, none Billy could think of or find; he took a turn down a road closer to the water and silence fell. It was admittedly nice to hear what Tommy had said; Billy loved Angel Grove, it was his home and he couldn't dream of living anywhere else, and it was nice to hear kind words about it from someone else. Considering Tommy's initial introduction to the city, the unfortunateness with Rita, it was good to see that he was willing to see past the bad to see the good in Angel Grove instead, to not let what happen bother him and cloud what good could come of his new situation.

_Yeah, unlike you, still doubting him._ A voice of dissent slipped into his mind and Billy tried to push it away; he tried to focus on the now winding road, going further and further in, almost towards the end of the city but closer to the water, closer to the ocean. Closer to a beach hopefully; he knew ignoring the voice wouldn't help, his lack of trust was troubling even if only to him as he was the only one who knew. He hoped only he knew; he felt bad enough about it, about thinking of Tommy as still a potential enemy, especially now after Tsuki and everything, without having to add to it his friends, Tommy, knowing his apprehension. Honestly considering what had happened thusfar it made no sense to him but he couldn't shake the suspicion; he looked at Tommy and he saw a teammate, a friend, but still he also saw the Green Ranger and a fear bubbled within him.

“Billy?” This was a different voice, soft, sleepy; Tsuki sat up in the back, rubbing at her eyes and looking at him with a sort of confusion and worry that, as Billy turned his gaze to her momentarily, made him wonder why it was there. Did she see his own concerns etched in his face?

He smiled gently and turned back to the road, surveying the road before them; they were starting to get pretty far and he started to wonder to himself where they might be going from here. Tommy said nothing and Tsuki did not speak again after uttering his name, perhaps waiting for him to say something in response to her urging utterance, to the question she hadn't even asked. He could hear the sound of one of the windows being rolled down and voices from far away, laughter and cries filtered into the car; he took a turn, mostly by instinct and found the street turn to barely paved road. The buildings of the city soon gave way to more houses overgrown with dead plants, abandoned it seemed to time, and there weren't more voices here, except one; Tommy's, sprouting out of the silence as he called out, “Hey there, what about that road?”

He pointed and Billy looked, noting a pathway hidden by more houses; a part of the blue ranger, even as he turned the car to try and take it, started to focus more on the place they found themselves than the heat itself. It occurred to him odd; the neighborhood was so quiet and dead, almost like a dream. Was this a trap, something too good to be possibly true? It flashed in his mind their predicament; two Rangers, hiding an injured girl with wings from the friends, coming so far from home because of the heat. An abandoned space would be for the best, and this small city by the water, with life but few to spare, it seemed to be perfect for that; less to see them, less to worry and panic. Did this come about then as an answer to their unspoken wish, was this simply an illusion by their enemies, was this Tommy's doing? Or even Tsuki's? Were they in danger, was Billy, did he walk right into the clutches of dangerous enemies out of naivete, stupidity, faith?

“Billy, look.” The voice again cut through his thoughts and he was humored for a second the wonder on if this was Tsuki's power before letting what lay before them set in.

As a resident of Angel Grove he supposed he should be used to the beach and the ocean itself, but he would be, in secret of course, the first to admit to his own lack of experience on account of unfortunate circumstances. As such the sight before him did strike him perhaps a bit strongly, the clearness of the water, glistening in the sunlight, mirrored by the sky above to make an endless forming of blue; puffs of white looked painted into the sky and a bird could just barely be made out in the horizon. Reaching the end of the road Billy stopped the car and all three just stared for a moment at a miracle, a tiny beach nestled between old houses, a careless little place with sand and dirt but little else. Including people; they were the only ones there.

“Wow,” Tommy said, his voice small but clear as daylight.

A second passed and their senses returned, Tommy was the first to climb out of the car; Billy tried but the green ranger held out a hand, still looking out his window as Billy turned to him and he climbed out of the car. It occurred to Billy what Tommy was trying to do and there was a part of him more bothered than flattered; glancing at Tsuki for a moment and giving her a reassuring smile he too climbed out to join Tommy. If there was any danger, if they were in a trap, then he certainly was not going to sit back and be protected.

“Stubborn” was Tommy's only comment to him though Billy noted a strange sort of smile on his face, amused rather than annoyed; he surveyed the horizon and then turned to Billy. “It looks to be safe enough; it seems like it was probably a private beach once but this area doesn't seem to have any residents for a while so we should be fine using it.”

“You certain?” Billy knew it was a stupid question when it left him and he nearly winced, knowing he couldn't take it back. Of course Tommy wasn't certain, they didn't even know this area and he was asking if the other Ranger was sure that this area was abandoned and free for them to use.

Still Tommy didn't respond, didn't chide or make fun of him for the admittedly silly statement; the sound of the car door opened and a startled noise, followed by what sounded like things falling, caused both Rangers to look back towards the Radbug. Tsuki was out of the car, as was a portion of the things they packed, now spilling out of the car. The winged girl herself was sitting on the ground and her wings were both unfolded again, shaking some though it seemed more a conscious action than one of concern. She was pouting slightly and Tommy chuckled before going over to her, offering her his hand.

“Fell out of the car, princess?”

“I was trying to get out and join you,” she said and took his hand, getting back to her feet, “But I sort of knocked over some stuff and when I opened the door it all fell out with me. Sorry.”

“As long as you are uninjured the status of the material objects is inconsequential,” Billy said shaking his head and she looked at him for a moment before smiling.

“Thanks Billy,” Tsuki spoke then let go of Tommy, glancing at the beach as well; she turned to them with the same smile, energetic and pleased, “So we're here~”

Tommy nodded. “Yup. Well, we better start setting up; Billy, how about you help me with picking some of this stuff up? Tsuki, you can take whatever is in the car; you think you can handle that?”

She huffed and pouted before nodding and going around to the other side of the car, leaving Billy and Tommy to pick stuff up off the ground. The blue ranger carried the beach ball and towels out onto the beach itself, followed soon by Tommy with a cooler and Tsuki carrying two bags and a large beach umbrella. The trio moved in relative order, continuing to carry things out until they had all they had brought with them; Billy started to setting things up in a more organized fashion, assisted by Tommy and Tsuki until a realization hit them.

“Tsuki doesn't actually have a swimsuit does she?” This seemed like such an obvious thing; of course she wouldn't, she fell out of the sky and wore Tommy's old clothes. The girl in question herself seemed unbothered by it but the boys looked at each other and found joint concern. Might it be possible to buy one in town? Of course, there was sure to be some sort of clothing store, a few hopefully, but then how to get a swimsuit. Bring the winged girl who can't hide her wings into a store and cause a panic? Go in by themselves and try and guess at her size, possibly looking like creeps. Honestly Billy was concerned but there was some comfort in seeing the same sort of worry etched on Tommy's face.

“Really guys I'll be fine,” Tsuki said trying to end the subject, “I probably shouldn't go in the water anyway....” Billy wondered if he was the only one who heard the tinges of disappointment in her voice.

Tommy shook his head. “No, we came to the beach, we gotta go out into the water, right? Your wing is properly wrapped, we got the first aid kit with us in case we need it, it's not fair that we guys get to cool off in the water and you have to sit on the sidelines.”

“I would not be against keeping Tsuki company on the beach,” Billy said, “I will admit to some trepridation at the option of approaching any ichthyes species.”

“Fish,” Tommy said looking at Billy, “You...don't want to go near fish, that's what you mean?” Billy nodded, “Why?”

Billy winced, not particularly excited by the concept of sharing this; admittedly he probably should have thought of his problem beforehand but between the heat and concern for Tsuki's health, it had honestly and strangely slipped his mind for the most part. He shook his head. “I simply am not overtly fond of the chordata phylum...”

“Dude,” Tommy said and poked Billy's arm, “You telling me you're afraid of fish?”

Once more the blue ranger winced and looked away, causing Tommy to blink and pull back. He frowned some and rubbed his neck. “Oh, sorry. I wouldn't have suggested the beach if I had known, Billy, promise.”

“It is fine, Tommy,” Billy said and forced a smile, turning back to him, “You could not have possibly been aware.” Hell even his friends weren't; he didn't normally go into the water when he was with them, he tried not to make too obvious his ichthyophobia. It was not the type of thing that one normally would bring up to anyone, even people they counted as close friends.

Tommy still looked apologetic and Billy opened his mouth to say more when he heard a squeal; fearing something, he was not entirely certain what, he turned towards the water. A few inches from their spot lay Tsuki's skirt and a few feet from there, among the waves, was the girl herself; her t-shirt, now soaked by what Billy had to assume was a wave that had come at her unexpectedly, clung to her body and her legs glistened with not sweat but water. She was laughing, a clear noise, her wings speckled by drops of water, making them almost seem to shine; a smile graced her face and she turned to look at Billy and at Tommy before speaking, “No fish here, Billy, don't worry about it~”

He stunned for a moment, just blinking at her. Many thoughts crossed his mind: her bandages might be wet, they should change them quickly. She wasn't wearing her skirt so under the ill-fitting t-shirt she was just wearing her underwear. How was she going to sit comfortably in the back of the Radbug on the way home if her clothes were soaked through? It was entirely plausible with that comment that she had jumped in, not just to get into the cool water in the summer heat, but to check for fish, for him, to make him feel more comfortable.

The last thought restarted his brain and he started to blush right as Tommy started to laugh and moved to remove his shirt, both boys having changed into swim trunks before leaving the house. He turned to the blue ranger, grinning, “Well you heard the girl.”

'Simply because she does not perceive them now does not mean they are not present,” Billy said partway mumbling it.

“Well then we'll just have to scare them away for you,” Tommy said, causing Billy to look at him; the grin, there was something sincere in it, playful but truthful and Tommy continued, “That's what friends are for right?”

Right. Friends are there for you. Billy smiled back at him and nodded, chuckling softly. “You are correct I suppose.”

No of course he was; Tommy went off to join Tsuki in the water, laughing as she splashed him and Billy watched them for a second before shaking his head and taking off his own shirt to join them himself. Friends were supposed to be the type to be there for you, how could he forget such a thing?

 

 

The weather didn't start to cool until the sun had fallen below the horizon and the night sky had come out. Billy and the others had been at the beach for more than a few hours, time seeming to fly by as they played in the water and enjoyed some simple beach games,throwing around the beach ball and breaking for lunch and then dinner. Tommy had disappeared for a bit before returning with some wood and Billy was sitting on one of the towels, watching as the green ranger tried to light a fire. A soft sort of breeze, not cold but not warm, blew over and he could swear he heard soft humming; Tsuki was standing by the water and he couldn't for the life of him guess what it was she was thinking, her back to him as she seemed to be staring up at the sky, her head tilted upwards. Her wings were stretched out wide and for a moment she looked magnificent, and he remembered that night once more.

“Tell me straight,” said Tommy's voice and Billy let his attention be drawn away towards him, a soft flicker dancing among the gathered firewood and the green ranger was smiling down at his work before turning his gaze to his teammate; he spoke low, loud enough for Billy though and serious, “Who do you think she is?”

“A friend.” The words came out without a moment's hesitation and the blue ranger spoke it while looking Tommy in the eye, “She is my friend.”

“A friend huh,” Tommy repeated and his eyes moved to her, seeming to watch as she continued her quiet watch; he smile gently and yet, yet Billy could see something else. A tinge, a glance of sadness; Tommy nodded slowly, “I'll trust that. She certainly hasn't done anything to prove herself to be anything else. I'll admit I had my doubts, a lot of them honestly; I'm not crazy about keeping secrets from the others-”

“So why?” It still struck him, when Billy took a moment to think on it; why had Tommy changed his mind about telling the others, why had he chosen to join in the facade instead? He had yet to get an answer, not to mention one that felt like it would explain it; why would the ex-evil ranger choose to help keep things from the others?

Tommy didn't answer and Billy kept watching him, waiting, hoping for something. But there was nothing; a shake of his head, an almost sideways smile, and the soft ghostly sound of someone humming, that was all Billy got.

Moments passed like that, the fire growing slow but steady and Tsuki seeming unmoving before finally Tommy did say something. But it wasn't about her.

“I'm adopted,” he said and Billy was taken off guard, finding himself staring at the green ranger for a moment; Tommy was smiling still and once more there was something sad about it, “I....never knew my birth parents honestly; my mom and dad, the ones who raised me, they took me in when I was a baby and they don't really like to talk about it. Really I only found out cuz I looked; I always knew something was off and, well,” he chuckled but it was humorless, “turned out it was me.”

“Oh,” Billy said uncertain how to respond to that; he furrowed his brow, trying to search his brain for some words, some sort of way to say or do something but honestly he didn't know why this was coming up now, “Sorry.”

Tommy waved it off. “It's nothing to be sorry for, Bill; just...I figured it would be fair to tell you.”

“Fair?”

“Yeah. Because you told me your mom was dead.” Ah so that was it. The reason Tommy had not given him The Smile, why Billy had seen understanding not pity in his eyes before. Billy turned to him and saw Tommy staring at the flames once more, continuing on, “I didn't mean to make you remember something raw and I did and figured it was only fair to share my own story. Honestly it's not really anywhere as bad; I love my parents and they love me. They've always been good parents, taken good care of me; I'd like to think they raised me right. But I-I'll admit, when I found out, it did hurt. Hurt more finding out I wouldn't be able to find out about what exactly happened.”

“You couldn't?” Tommy shook his head and Billy furrowed his brow, feeling bad but still unable to stop himself, “May I inquire....?”

“Was a closed adoption,” he answered and shrugged, “All the records are sealed; my parents were pretty upset when they found out I was looking into it but...but you know.”

Tommy smiled and Billy nodded, not needing more, not wanting to push more. Tsuki had returned by now, sitting down in front of the fire and glanced at the boys before speaking, “Your parents are nice though?”

He blinked and looked at her before laughing. “Yeah, as I was telling Billy here, my parents are real nice. They'd probably even like you, feathers and all.”

“I'm sure I'd like them too,” she said then looked at Billy, “What about your dad?”

“My father?” he asked confused and she nodded; he turned his eyes to the fire, hesitating before speaking, “He is...a fully competent parent; he can be rather scattered at times, and my father works hard but...but he is a good man, a kind man, and he cares about me very much. I believe at times he believes it his duty to double his efforts in supporting my activities and life for my mother,” the word itself felt a bit odd to say but he swallowed and continued, “She....my mother...”

“It's fine Billy, you don't need to tell us,” Tommy said and Tsuki reached out to touch his shoulder.

He shook his head and tried to smile. “It's quite alright, it is simply facts. I will not allow myself to be made overly emotional over them, I assure you.”

“But Billy,” Tsuki said concerned; he patted her head.

“You are kind, Tsuki,” he said, though there was much more to it than just that; the words themselves have a further weight and he took a breath before continuing, “It was an accident; I was young at the time, very young and my recollections of the time are admittedly rather unstable. I do know that she was the victim of vehicular manslaughter; a man by the name of Sikas Morgan apparently became quite intoxicated one night and proceeded to attempt to operate his vehicle despite his inebriated state. My mother was retrieving the mail at the time and was promptly struck by his automobile as he drove down our street; my father has reassured me multiple times it was a quick death though and she was unlikely to have experienced any true pain.”

“Oh Billy,” Tommy said frowning deeply; Billy felt Tsuki move to wrap her arms around him and the blue ranger did not stiffen this time, allowing her. Honestly he found some sort of comfort in it and even shifted into it, resting his head against her.

“As I said it is alright, and I was again very young; the loss is truth be told less an element of grief for me as a difficult point for me to feel entirely comfortable relaying,” he said and smiled meekly, “Most see it as a pitiable incident and thus insist upon feeling apologetic to me for some reason, as if they themselves were the mastermind behind the events.”

“I'm sorry if I seem to be pitying you,” Tsuki said loosening her grip and he put a hand on her arm, looking up at her and shaking his head.

“N-no, it is...quite alright. I know you mean this is as the true meaning of the word, in kindness and compassion,” he said and bit his lip, feeling terrible honestly even mentioning it and worrying her, and worrying Tommy.

“In comparison to....?” the green ranger asked.

“I do not enjoy the feeling of being treated as some poor individual, inferior and condescended,” Billy admitted, “It makes it hard then to converse about this topic without worry for most always react the same...they look at me in the same way. But not you two,” he looked at them for a moment, and his expression changed to one of revelation, “You do not give The Smile.”

“The Smile?” Tsuki asked tilting her head, letting go of him but sitting beside him; before he could answer her brow had furrowed then in a far off sounding voice she continued, “It's weak, sad, but it's like...they seem to be sensing your sadness and they might have some of their own but it's not the same. They recognize it in you and try and sympathize but they can't, they can just smile in a way like apologizing for your pain and you don't want an apology. Maybe for someone to say it'll be okay but you don't want an apology; you just...want someone to see you.”

Billy stared at her for a moment and she set her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Tommy watched both before speaking, “Yeah I know that one. Though...”

He cut himself off and chuckled; Billy regarded him with a raised eyebrow. “Though?"

“Truth be told?” he asked and laughed a bit, “You're the only one I've told that I'm adopted. You two actually it seems since Tsuki overheard.”

“It's so quiet out here,” she muttered.

“Yeah,” Tommy said and smiled.

Billy took a moment to think on that. “Truly? You have only spoken to us about this?” Tommy nodded and there was something in that that stuck out to him. The other teenager seemed to get along so well with Jason and there was certainly something between him and Kim; perhaps it made sense though. This was far from the kind of thing one should or would speak about lightly with others, and maybe even was the same as Billy's apprehension speaking about his mother's death. No The Smile, no pity, no one need know the truth of their pasts; Tommy understood and Tsuki's words sounded in his ears before, making him wonder if perhaps she too knew somehow. It was impossible to know, she remembered nothing and questions would likely get nowhere, but she had spoken like someone who knew the sensation of being pitied well firsthand.

He bit down on his lip and he felt a weight on him that he soon recognized as the feel of Tsuki's wing around him, a soft touch and warming in a good way; a light smile passed over his face and he nodded himself, looking at Tommy, the other teenager, the green ranger. His teammate. “I am honored by your trust.”

“Me too,” Tsuki said and she sounded tired, resting her head still against him.

Tommy smiled back and shook his head before rubbing the back of his neck again. “Don't be; I just felt like it was fair to share, like I said.”

“But you trusted me enough to let me share in the knowledge. however accidental,” Tsuki mumbled and Tommy blinked before chuckling.

“I guess I did. You've grown on me I guess.” Now it was her turn to smile and her other wing flexed a bit, though wrapped still it could do little; still it seemed to be beckoning and Tommy was confused for a moment before moving over, sitting on her free side. The wing moved stiffly and awkward still but managed to get over him and Billy couldn't help a small chuckle as he looked at them. One girl in the middle, her eyes closed and her glasses slipping down her nose, the t-shirt she was wearing slowly drying after getting wet in her dip in the ocean, one wounded wing wrapped around one boy, the uninjured wing wrapped around another. Billy to one side, scrawny Billy dressed in drying swim trunks, his own glasses spotted by water, a wing wrapped around him and Tsuki's head on his shoulder, like he was dependable, like he was capable, like he wasn't weak. And to her other side the ex-evil, the unbrainwashed, the green ranger who Billy was coming to realize more and more wasn't really the same as Jason and Zack, those carefree boys who sought the sun and kept catching it. There was troubles, fears, secrets, and an understanding of weakness; the boy dragged into battle to be Rita's weapon, sitting there with a girl from the sky and the weakest Power Ranger, and smiling and it was a good smile. He was Billy's ally, and Tsuki's, and turning his gaze back to the fire, watching it burn and crackle before them, the night air still and the beach quiet, Billy thought to himself that he would have it no other way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Woo! The newest chapter of From the Stars to You!~ I actually had the idea for this one for a while and have been looking forward to writing it; hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it X3 I'm gonna work on the next chapter of Morphing Coin next so hopefully that'll be out soon so I can get working on Ranger's Initiative and then this one again XD But hopefully this was good either way.)


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